The subject application is directed to a system with all-optical coupling of an optoelectronic probe and an optoelectronic measuring console. In particular, the subject application is directed to an optoelectronic probe system employing all-optical coupling, which allows for a cost effective, safe, and expedient operation of an optoelectronic probe used in optical measurements.
Optoelectronic measuring techniques, such as, for example, spectroscopy implementing reflectance, light-elastic scattering, or fluorescence, and optical imaging, such as confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography, typically involve the use of an optoelectronic probe to allow for delivering optical radiation to an associated sample.
Conventionally, the architecture of these devices includes an optoelectronic measuring console and a permanently attached or detachable optoelectronic probe, having optical and electrical communication with the optoelectronic measuring console. The optical communication is typically employed using one or more optical fibers, wherein the electrical communication is provided via electrical wires, as known in the art. Such architecture is definitely simple and cost effective, but has several drawbacks.
By way of example, a galvanic electrical contact between an optoelectronic measuring console and an optoelectronic probe, wherein the optoelectronic measuring console typically has hazardous voltages inside, represents a risk of electrical hazard to an operator and/or patient, since the optoelectronic probe is in contact with an operator and, in the case of biomedical use of the device, with the patient tissue. This risk is typically mitigated by appropriate design of the device, at the expense of additional design, manufacture, validation, and regulatory efforts. In particular, probe circuitry can be galvanically insulated from the rest of the optoelectronic measuring console, using optoelectronic type, capacitor-type, or inductive-type means. However, these means bring additional cost and complexity to the device, especially when medical-grade insulation is required.
Combined electro-optical connectors, i.e. having both optical and electrical contacts, are substantially more expensive and frequently inferior in performance in comparison to optical only or electrical only connectors. The use of separate optical and electrical connectors with a subsequent junction device is also known in the art, but the junction device represents additional cost and complexity as well, especially when medical reprocessing is required, such as disinfection or sterilization.